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I’d swap a good Friday for a good Saturday

So there you have it, Arsenal is now 9.9% foreign owned. It’s not a huge surprise, is it?

Stan Kroenke (impressive moustache) has purchased ITV’s share in Arsenal, which the broadcaster has been trying to offload for some time. That might be that, but it might not. The shares have been bought at a premium, which might either be because ITV negotiated tenaciously or because Kroenke wanted to turn the heads of the current shareholders.

Some reports suggest it’s the prelude to a full takeover, others that Arsenal’s current shareholders aren’t interested in moving on. We just don’t know.

Let’s be honest, Arsenal is a rich picking. The minefield of finding a new home, getting permission for it, getting it funded, then built, has been overcome, and despite large debts the club is now raking the cash in, and will make bags of cash from turning Highbury into flats.

Topping it off is the not inconsiderable draw of London, and of Wenger, of Arsenal’s potential, and of its history. In the current climate it’s really not a surprise at all.

I don’t like the idea of a full takeover by someone with no background in English football, and no love of Arsenal. I never have. But I am a realist, and it’s not difficult to sense the way the wind is blowing.

One thing is sure: with the team feeling a bit sorry for itself at the moment, the last thing we need is a protracted takeover.

Team stuff

With Arsenal’s season petering out, the silly season has begun. Clubs are apparently queuing up to buy Henry, news you can take with as many pinches of salt as you require. It’s such a predictable story that it merits no further comment just now.

Tomorrow it’s the resurgent-ish Hammers at home, and it feels like the end of a mini close season it’s been so long since the last home game. So I’m looking forward to it, even if we can’t defend or score at the moment, two useful attributes for a football team trying to win a football match.